PROJECT MANAGEMENT

What is a Project?

- an undertaking that has a beginning and an end and is carried out to meet defined goals and
objectives (quantitative and qualitative), within costs and schedule.
- a one-shot, time-limited, goal-oriented major undertaking, requiring the commitment of
varied skills and resources.
- A project has a finite and well-defined life span. It may last 6 months or 1 year or even 3-5
years depending on the complexity and type of the project. It is dynamic and has a defined
duration, a beginning and an end.
- it is a combination of human and nonhuman resources mobilized in a temporary organization
(within the mother institution) to achieve specific objectives within given budgets and
timetables. Once these objectives are achieved, the project is completed.

These concepts mean that a project is:

1. One-Shot
2. Time-limited
3. Goal-Oriented
4. Major Undertaking
5. Varied Skills
6. Varied Resources and the New Project Manager

Technical definitions

- a project is an idea which has been created to respond to a perceived need and is articulated
as such, e.g. the common phrase we hear of “ Wouldn’t it be good idea if…?”.
- a project is viewed as “…planned complex actions and investment, at a selected location, that
are designed to meet output capacity, or transformation goals in a given provided time, using
specific techniques”. This is concerned with “what should be done” rather than “what does
happen”.
- A project is a temporary process composed of a constantly changing collection of
technologies and operations involving the close coordination of heterogeneous resources to
produce one or few units of a unique product or service.

The Project Life Cycle

Each project, no matter how complex or varied, has a life cycle, starting from beginning to its end.
Each sector or subsector or industry may have its own project life cycle, depending on the specifics of
the activities or tasks that comprise its components.

1
Project Management

- the planning, organizing, directing and controlling by an institution or agency of the human
and nonhuman resources for a short term objective that has been established to complete
specific goals and objectives within a schedule and budget.
- project management uses the systems approach to management by having functional
personnel assigned to a specific project. Or it may be a completely “new organization within
the organization” set up for a specific project with a given deadline.
- In social development, project management is not just a technical undertaking. It is also a
social process which is designed to ensure the cooperation, participation, intervention and
intervention and motivated involvement of others directly affected by the project in the
effective achievement of project outputs, quantitative and qualitative, which will have effects
and impacts on the beneficiaries and the sector even after the project has been completed
and terminated.

Project Management will inevitably focus on 7 key characteristics

1. Single Responsibility – given to the Project Manager

2. Defined Outputs or Results. Projects are projects only if outputs or results are concrete,
measurable, responsive to specific issues and directed at defined objectives.
3. Project Components and Cycle. Projects must be broken into components for
manageable supervision and control.
4. Controlling Through Tools and Techniques. A mix of tools and techniques are used to
promote central and decentralized planning, monitoring and control of the parts and total
effort of the project.
ex. GANTT Charts, PERT/CPM schedules, work breakdown structures, cost benefit
analysis, feasibility studies, etc.
5. Independent Action but Coordinated. Decentralized performance of the work by various
people with a mix of skills from different disciplines are directed by a single individual, the
Project Manager.
6. Deadlines
7. Fixed Budget. Projects work within defined budgetary allocations.

Integrated Project Cycle Model

1. Pre-Development and screening

a. Participation analysis and project identification - The objective is to select among
various ideas or proposals and to identify a project in a participatory style.
b. Problem-and-opportunity identification – The objective is to identify the
opportunities for business or services of the selected project, as well as the risks and
threats which will confront the project if and when it is launched.
c. Project Definition – This is a strategic choice, because any project identified means
that it will have a life cycle beyond project completion up to the stage where it is
2
 institutionalized into normal operations and maintenance. Should answer the
questions “ What are the advantages of undertaking the project?”, What is happening
to the beneficiaries or clients or project site before the project? and what happens
after the project?”
d. Screening – Among many possible project ideas or proposals, there is a need for
policy-makers and management to screen the proposals carefully. Against a set of
defined criteria for priorities and for selection, then decision can be made of which
project to approve and to implement. Generally, the project with the largest positive
impact on clients or beneficiaries at the most efficient costs would get the approval.
e. Finalization of the project concept – Once the project concept is validated, the project
planners proceed to the project identification phase and preliminary and final designs.
Questions such as the following are answered and action steps mapped out at this
stage:
i. Main issues to be addressed
ii. project objectives and outputs
iii. scope and coverage
iv. main project components
v. preliminary ideas about institutional arrangements for implementation
vi. proposed budget cost

2. Development and Design – project manager and planners prepare the detailed, fully-costed
project plans and schedules. Related issues like environmental and cultural factors,
technological requirements and procedures are included.
a. Full-blown project feasibility study
b. Different focus points

3. Appraisal, Negotiations and Approval – This task is from the viewpoint of top management
or the government policy-makers or the funding agency or development bank. At this stage,
project proposals are waiting to be appraised, which means pre-evaluation of the project
before it is implemented. There will be differences between the project proponent and the
funding agency – which leads to negotiations, and hopefully to approval of the project for
implementation.

4. Project Implementation and Completion – This is the stage where the planners translate
plans into reality.
a. Project authorization to proceed – Project authorization must be given, and powers
and responsibilities should be clearly spelled out in the project plans.
b. Dealing with changes – a marked characteristic at this stage is constant change.
c. Project supervision – should be executed diligently to ensure matching of project
outputs with original targets.
d. Project control – maintained not only by the project manager but also independently
by the fund-source. The project therefore must comply with agreed procedures and

3
 the criteria set by the fund-source, e.g. procurement, construction and equipment
installation, documentation and paperwork.
e. Project completion – the cycle now comes to an end.
f. Project handover – project handover to the new or existing administration should be
formally marked. Cut-off dates, filing systems closed, and formal turnover of
documents and properties should be scheduled.

5. Project Evaluation and Follow-Up - while evaluation may formally take place at the end of
the project cycle, it can be done through different stages of the project life cycle. In this way,
the project results do not really surprise the interested parties since they have been kept up
to date in the process.

Source: Project Management for Social and Economic Development

How to Make it Work and Tool up to 2001
by Ernesto A. Franco